Fashion Is A Blast From Past

September 17, 2004|By Sam Stevens Pine Crest School

As you walk through the mall, the newest "Hot Picks" and latest trends jump out at you from every window. Ponchos, argyle sweaters, leg warmers ... all part of the season's top fashion. So why do these look so familiar? Probably because you've seen them all in your mom's closet.

First it was the preppy capris and oxfords from the 1950s. Then came the hobo bags and hip-huggers of the 1970s. And most recently to reappear in stores, Adidas and Vans sneakers and off-the-shoulder shirts that were "super-rad" in the '80s.

As groovy as retro is, why is America so obsessed? Are designers bringing back the past because they've simply run out of new ideas?

"Maybe because the fashions from the '80s were so strange, once the '90s came, people just didn't know where to go from there," said Alison Boyle, a sophomore at Pine Crest School. "The only place to turn was to the past, so clothing companies reached back in time just to get away from the neon shirts and electrified hair."

The '80s certainly were an interesting time for trends. Even now the ripped jeans and skinny ties are making a comeback.

When people think of the future, the cartoon family The Jetsons usually pops to mind. So where are those space suits and triangular collars today?

Liquefied, recycled plastic is the new polyester. Working out will never be the same with DuPont's CoolMax shirts, which draw moisture away from the body, and PowerLycra shorts, which enhance athletic performance by compressing the muscles.

Now that's some high-tech designing. But who's ever seen a store selling sweat-proof shirts? It seems there's no hope for fashion of the future.

So go ahead. Tuck your sweatpants into your socks, tease your hair from here to Wisconsin, and listen to some Zeppelin, because creating "the look of the decade" is a thing of the past.